While Saruk's father, Sagah, established the settlement on Ecosystem 09 (Nine) to keep the Beta safe, Saruk seeks to return the Beta to the stars. He longs for the day that his people can reclaim their true calling as great explorers.

Having spent his lifetime hiding from the enemy that savaged his father's generation, Saruk is ready to attempt the unprecedented feat of manipulating the passageways, called keyholes, that have both protected and imprisoned his people on Nine.

Unsure of what may await his people in the stars, Saruk is determined that, whatever the cost, the Beta people will remain the authors of their own fate.